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3965/4: 


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Bulletin No. 


0 
one o 
SuLlt or many 
It may inter 
in Pennsyiva 


The Sta 
ing the war 
survey jas 
purine the £ 
Geclined, 
JANUBArY, 
9h 44 Clear 
average in t 
4,05 to. 31, 
when the pri 
Tea with a 
and that 
Novernper , 
$14... 


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Pyows thet the 


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ween ee 


DEFARTMEN? 
jJemes fF. 


——— 


Sion 
Oy 
\A oe 


SUREAU OF 


George 


TOPOGRAPHIC 
He. Ashley, 


LEEEOLT OF THE 


By George FZ 


ey ee ee 


INTE AEH mt i ] f Al 6 om by § , 
Woodwex 


_—— 


FAR ON DHE 


<7 A 
py A 
~~ ina 


B 


DTPNIDT Enz 
PENN SY 


18 0 eee ene 


——S 


~ 


of Sa 2 a i ae Blea 


AND GEOLOGIC AT 
State Geologis 


om 
ce 


DRICE OF COAT 
2 pr ge foe (lang, Ae Bl 8 Ss ee 


® A Ss n as ee y 


eenewen ee a re 


S 


eresent’: 

“Ups-anc-dcovmns , in whi 
€st many to have somet 
nia during the war, 


tha tise cos 
rices 


ne iknow 


te Geologist has 
from tables just i 
rt of a series of 
(sv vear of the war t 
spot price of 
CAM de fey HUW OO SH ee 
field coal declined fr 
ne latte) 
ee 
ce wernt 
ree OF 


down to 31.00 


15, the lovest oint, 


Pittsburgh 
penobex 


Doe (On Loa | 
The bottom was res 


&1,88 but soon dropned to. 2 
was me intained throuch the rema 


4s more than before the war. 


Tera AY 
Sd VON oe 


(Sentember., Lo) ware thee aoe tre ~ 
ch the "ups" ereatly vredomifiate, 
hAne OL sine Wastory or coal prices 


ed the fluctuations of prite 
by the United 
War Industries. Board 
he price’ of cll bituminous 
oal declined from $1.3 
and Mover RL eit tae eho 
ONE Ea Rhee AON Gb aU) Re eo As cp eo 
aye ot through) 1L9i4 of Lx 
ched between Hav and Lugust, 
ton. Somerset coal started 
nYice of about 
TRAM MOE Ww howe ke Le ar: 
3h, io being rozn¢hed in Nove) 


VZ 
ec 


7" 


ber 


OM 


m 


Cu 


Na avcin 
S Quip 


States Geological 
pamohlets 
Coa 


It 
1s 
rae 9 
in sui 
an 


from 


Lo.15 

Zh 
until 
orn, 


Many Will dovbtless wisk 


tiat they had hed s 


torage facilities to 


lay in suppl 
a0al will ne 
product and 


Sup: 


est or their 1 


1g low, 


oi 


Les “for the r 
ver again be sold 
many people find it diif 
power 


1¢cu 


probable that 
coal ig a bulky 
even one 


ivyes,.as it is 
Unfortunstely , 
1t to accomodate 
commenies have storace room 


winter's vo hae 
For oniy a few days! or « few 
tend to deteriorate in size, 

people had attempted to store 
Soon would have raised the 


px 


while many large 


weelts! YTegEerve,. 
LT Notoin: avalitvy.. 
Coa. “tor the. future 


Tite: 


Then, 


too: most coals 
Resides, if meanv 
he inerecsed demand. 


Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2022 with funding from 
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/effectofwaronpri00ashl_0 
5 


Towerd the end of 1915 business began to revive and prices’re- 
sponded, so that by Jonucry, 1916, Pittsburgh coal rose to $1.58, but 
dropoed to 31,23 in April. Mlesrficld coal rose to 3oe009, but de- 
olined to $1.16 in June, Somerset and Cambria rose to 32.79 but by 
June and muly, 1916, went dowm to 31,38. 


Then in Ausust came the cry Tor coal and prices beran to soar 
and continved goings up until in Bebruary and March, 1917, the pinnacle 
was reached, Pittsburgh coal reached 75.21, its highest price, in 
Pebrucry, 1917. In March, 1917, Clearfield cocl reachet $5.16 and 


Somerset ond Cambrie coal. recehed “5,48, 


Wext came the conference in Washincton in June =t which time 
prices were 34.9% Yor Pittsburch cocl, vou ror Cileeriield and 39411 
for Cambria and Somerset. At that conference sweeping reductions were 
agreed to and the new, or "Peabody", prices prevailed through July ane 
iueust. Phese ron 3.25 for wittsdburch cocl; from 53.46 to $3.74 for 
Clegrraela Coal i ond tron 5,504 to sol for) Cambrin and Somerset coal. 


~ 


* 


In phy beMie Ty 1917, ‘the government took hold, through the Fuel 
Acministrator, sand the Presicent announced new prices for Pennsyl- 
Wonie. Witch ran 32.00 tor Clearfield, Combria and. $ man eet coals, and 
$2.01 for Pittsburgh coal, In November an increase of 45¢/ a ton was 
allowed to cover an increase in wages to the miners, 


| It wes soon seen that the coals of the so-called thin-vein dis- 
trice of Cleerfield, Cambria and Somerset. counties could not be mined 
at »rices cuoted and in Novemher an <dditionol increase of 45¢ was 
allowed to the ‘coal from those counties, In DTebruary, 1918, the Puet 
Administrcotion prices were odjustee to provide for the srect cost of. 
mining in the eastern districts, with an.advanee to 32.75, and later 
ON Maa Marcle.) toussy05, 


? 


7 


in igune, 29S, a eeneral reduction of 10¢ a ton was mrde by tne 
ruel Administrator ; leaving priess at. 32.95 for Clearfield, Cambric 
pae sumeraet cools) and ot 32.36 for Pittebureh coal\..and: those prices 
continued to the énéd of the wor. 


All the prices quated above are, of course, £f,0.,b. cars at tne 
Mine end not market prices after adding freicht, retailin anc de- 
Livery costs, 


Anthracite prices did not’ follow the wild fluctuations of bitu- 
mainous coal, The zea Pie en Send 15 15), saw tie common sizes or 
Bnvuuracite’ koepine 2 nicely unit Sora erice, except for the 50¢ a ton 
drop at the beginnin= of each summer. Steom sizes averared 31,27, 
woile stove size, which my be taken a6 an exemple Tox the larger 
sizes, ae yout. 30.06. im LOL6 prices becon to mount, stove, coal 
neaching ,L7 in November, 1916, They then declined beccuse of the 
sno ll cen ns end the miléness of the winter to °3.93 in snpril, 1917, 
The same month there come a wage advance which necessarily adcvenecod 
tne orice of coal, which reached (4,58 by Sevtember and 4,54 by 
December, 


Law) 
1 


In Seotember, 1917, anthracite prices were specified by the \ 
Government. Stove coal was then listed at $4.70 to $5.30, according 
to. erace or mining district. These prices were subdstantiallv those 
in effect 2% thot time, except that the infependent coal companies 
were permitted to cherge 75¢ 2 ton above the schedule. On “December 
1, 117, came cnother ware increase, followed by an advance in the 
Selling price of 50. a ton. April 1, 1918, a 30¢ reduction was made 
end meinvained for five months, This was not an petual reduction dut 

Para jie revarog tion in en advencevot 70¢.', Stove ‘coal, os an» exemole 
eCilcliy scvenced arom $4.54 in ilarch to $4.95 in April. In September 
the price wos reised to $5.24. November Ist an advance of 31,05 per 
ton Wes granted by the Duel Administrrtor to cover = furtner oacvence 
in Weges, 


Notvithstandin: oll of these cdvances, fissures giving the cost 
Of Droduction Showed so unfavorcbly for the co2l comncnies thet on 
Quittine office the Tuel ‘é¢ministrator cdvised omittins the usual 
summer rebate and cévancine the vrice 10¢ 2 month, until it had deen 
increased 50/7 above that prevciling in 1910. This brings the prices 
up to the present, 


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